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My dog has a recurring stinky, pus-filled wound. What should I do?

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Mixed Breed Medium (23 - 60lb) | Female | spayed | 1 year and 10 months old | 30 lbs

My dog has a scab that appeared with no specific cause (bite, scratching, etc.) The scab is filled with a layer of pus and stinks very bad. She had a similar problem about 7 months ago, and it went away after 1-2 weeks with monitoring and hydrogen peroxide. I am worried that it reappeared, what could this possibly be? Should I seek veterinary care ASAP in the morning?

3 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

Answered By Dr. Strydom, DVM

Veterinarian

Published on May 21st, 2017

Hello. Sorry Winnie is having this issue.

It looks like she has a "hot spot". I would go ahead and take her to the vet in the morning like you have planned. Many dogs do seem to get these "spontaneously". For future reference, treating these with peroxide is not the best idea. Peroxide actually delays the healing and that is likely why it took so long to resolve before (provided this was the same thing she had before).

Your vet will likely shave the hair around this lesion. These spots need air so they dry out and can heal faster. The hair around them keeps them wet/moist. The vet will also dispense some antibiotics for you to give her and some specific ointment to apply to it. Usually it will start to heal nicely within 5-7 days however, it will take quite a while for the hair to grow back. Here is a link to this problem:

http://www.petmd.com/dog/care/evr_hot_spots_what_are_they#

I hope this helps. Best wishes!

1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

Related Answers from Veterinarians

Answered By Jeffrey Milner
Veterinarian
That looks like a pretty deep wound! It looks to me like it is definitely infected and will require some medical intervention to get better. What you are smelling is almost certainly the presence of infection. I would shy away from using hydrogen peroxide on the area as this can actually delay the healing process. Your veterinarian will flush out the affected region with a different antiseptic solution and then provide systemic antibiotics to help. Also, Winnie may have to wear the cone of shame for a little while to prevent any further damage to the area.
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful
Answered By Dr. Leigh, DVM
Veterinarian
She could have a ruptured abscess or just a skin infection. It sounds like she needs an oral antibiotic to treat the infection so she should be seen by a vet as soon as possible. If she has allergies, it could be caused by allergies and your vet could prescribe an anti-histamine to help.
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

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